Are there tools that can take a wide 2D straightforward image and warp it for skydomes / skyspheres? That way the artist could generally create the matte painting in a more normal way, artistically, and leave the warping for post-processing.
I knew there was one and searched around and landed on a thread I had created myself years ago 
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/47347-Tip-for-making-skyboxes
Awesome! Thank you so much!